The night wind grew colder.
Time passed, bit by bit.
A long while later.
The fox Demon sitting cross-legged shuddered violently, and her tightly shut eyes slowly opened.
She raised her head, looking at that withered, thin back, her face full of bitterness.
"True Monarch… I… have failed."
"…"
As soon as these words were spoken, the Demons looked at each other.
The wolf Demon instinctively glanced to his side.
The meaning was clear.
"Damn it, you were bragging so much just a moment ago, does your face hurt now?"
The leopard Demon's old face flushed red, he stiffened his neck, and turned his head to look at the sky.
"Hey, the sky really is dark tonight…"
Seemingly to regain some face, the fox Demon hurriedly stood up, walked quickly behind the Old White Ape, and explained anxiously: "True Monarch, it is not that my methods were insufficient, but that the Human Race woman is simply too suspicious!"
"I borrowed Li Gui's mouth to deliver the fake letter, but she… she was completely unmoved!"
"With this kind of person, a single letter is likely not enough to lure her out…"
The Old White Ape slowly turned around.
There was not a trace of anger on his face, not even the slightest hint of disappointment.
"No matter."
He shook his head. "The Human Race is cunning and excels at schemes and tricks; they are fundamentally different from you Demons born in the wild."
"I never expected this plan to succeed."
"Huh?"
All the Demons were stunned.
"True Monarch, what do you mean by this?"
The fox Demon also raised her head, her eyes full of confusion. "Then… then why did we travel such a long distance to come here?"
The Old White Ape looked at the Demons' confusion and explained: "I established a manor here with great fanfare simply because I wanted my child… to be able to find the way home."
"But now, since there is someone who might know his whereabouts, I have no heart to tangle with the Demon Suppression Division."
He paused, a flash of determination in his eyes.
"Pass on my order: the Demon manor is dissolved."
"You all find a place to hide and do not let your tracks be discovered again."
Upon hearing this, the group of Demons was in an uproar.
"Then you…"
The Old White Ape did not answer, merely turning around slowly, his back to the Demons.
"There is a Demon Sealing Formation inside Yumen Pass. As long as she does not come out, I cannot do anything to her."
"We only need to vanish, and wait for the Demon Suppression Division's army to return empty-handed…"
"She is one person, she will eventually be alone."
"…"
Since the True Monarch had spoken, no one dared to object.
Furthermore, they had no desire to clash head-on with the Demon Suppression Division's army.
After all, for the sake of the True Monarch's so-called son—who, damn it, wasn't even his biological child—how could it be worth risking their lives?
Immediately, the various Demons accepted the order and dispersed.
The Old White Ape slowly exhaled, but his heart did not feel any lighter.
The Striped Fierce Tiger had sharp saber techniques.
If the opponent were not of the Human Race, and the fierce tiger were not just a phantom, he would have truly believed that it was his child.
But regardless, he did not believe that such a coincidence could exist in the world.
He also could not understand why such a stance would appear on a member of the Human Race.
He silently watched the majestic pass in the distance.
A long while later.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he was suddenly stunned.
He was a Core Formation Great Demon with excellent eyesight, so he narrowed his eyes and looked carefully.
He saw that from the distant majestic pass, a person on horseback suddenly rode out.
That figure, under the vast night sky, was as small as a bean.
…
The night sky was quiet and peaceful; the bright moonlight constantly changed as clouds parted and gathered, flowing silently across the boundless wilderness.
The sound of hooves approached from afar.
It was neither fast nor slow, carrying a unique rhythm, as if it were not stepping on sand and stone, but on the Old White Ape's heart.
"Whoa—"
The sound of hooves stopped abruptly.
One horse and one rider stopped beneath the solitary peak.
On the horse's back, the young girl in black raised her head, looking at the withered, thin figure on the peak.
Atop the peak, the Old White Ape looked at the girl indifferently. The wind blew his robes and his graying hair.
"You have come."
The girl did not speak.
She simply raised her blade and walked toward the peak.
The Old White Ape watched her, and a ripple finally appeared in his murky eyes.
"I did not think you would come."
"And I never thought that, knowing it was a trap, you would still dare to stand before me."
Jiang Yuechu raised her eyes. "You lured me here, wasn't it to see me?"
"…"
"Heh… hehehe…"
The Old White Ape laughed, shaking his head. "I was being pretentious."
He reined in his smile and said seriously: "Since you have come, let me ask you one thing…"
"Have you seen my child?"
"No."
Jiang Yuechu answered crisply and cleanly.
This was the truth.
She had slain quite a few Demons, but among them, there was indeed not a single ape Demon.
"No?"
In the Old White Ape's eyes, a terrifying, ferocious light instantly burst forth.
"Then where did this saber technique of yours, this method of condensing a tiger with saber intent, come from?!"
Jiang Yuechu's brow furrowed slightly.
"Tiger?"
In her mind, the memory of the tiger Demon flashed instantly.
"Your child… is a tiger?"
The Old White Ape's body shuddered violently.
"You… you have seen him?"
"…Tiger Mountain God, is that right?"
"Boom—"
An indescribable, terrifying Demonic Qi exploded from within the Old White Ape's body!
On the peak of the solitary mountain, sand and stones flew!
Jiang Yuechu stood there quietly, letting the wild wind blow her robes and hair, her face without a shred of fear.
So that was it.
She had been puzzled; she was merely a lowly captain, so why would the opponent design a trap to lure her out?
If she were killed, would the Demon Suppression Division really suffer a loss of Origin Qi? Would Yumen Pass be breached?
None of this made sense.
But being targeted by a Core Formation Great Demon for no reason, this feeling made Jiang Yuechu somewhat uncomfortable.
Living in this world, Jiang Yuechu had long since developed her own Law: to always wait passively was to be slowly eroded away by others.
Only by taking the initiative was it the Righteous Path.
Even if the army arrived tomorrow…
But if even a single mistake occurred and she let this group of Demons escape, she could not accept it.
Rather than waiting for death, it was better to seek them out herself.
Only by seeing the other party die with her own eyes could she be at peace.
"Ah—"
The Old White Ape let out a piercing, extremely mournful roar toward the sky!
He could no longer suppress the grief and hatred in his heart. His withered figure moved violently, instantly leaving an afterimage behind, and he clawed toward the top of Jiang Yuechu's head!
This claw, appearing plain and unremarkable, caused the surrounding heaven and earth Qi to resonate!
Mountain rocks turned into flying arrows, and grass and trees became sharp blades!
Within a hundred zhang, it was full of murderous intent!
This was the might of a Core Formation Great Demon!
Facing this world-destroying claw, the young girl closed her eyes.
Her cherry-blossom-like lips pressed together slightly, and she slowly took a deep breath, as if inhaling the night wind of the entire solitary peak into her lungs, storing it in her chest.
The next instant.
"Draw the blade!"
"Clang—"
A soft ring.
Like a tiger roaring across the eight wildernesses.
A snow-bright blade light bloomed suddenly from within the boundless night!